Air India bans passenger for 30 days for undignified behaviour on New York-Delhi flight

New Delhi: Air India has banned the passenger for 30 days who behaved in an inappropriate and undignified manner on the New York-Delhi flight.

An Air India spokesperson on Wednesday said, "Air India has taken a very serious view of the incident, where a passenger behaved in an unacceptable and undignified manner on the New York-Delhi flight that caused extreme distress to a fellow passenger.

"A police complaint has already been lodged and Air India is committed to assist the law enforcement agencies as well as regulatory authorities."

The airline said that it has reported the matter to the aviation regulator DGCA for further action.

"As a first step, Air India has banned the passenger for 30 days, the maximum it is permitted to unilaterally do so, and reported the matter to the DGCA for further action," said the spokesperson.

The airline said that it has constituted an internal committee to look into the lapses by the airline crew.

"We have also constituted an internal committee to probe lapses on part of Air India's crew and address the deficiencies that delayed quick redressal of the situation. We are also in regular contact with the aggrieved passenger and her family during the investigation and reporting process," said the spokesperson.

DGCA had sought a report from Air India into the incident which came to light weeks after a drunk man urinated on a woman co-passenger in the business class of an Air India flight in November last year. The matter was revealed after the woman reportedly wrote to the group chairman of Air India, N. Chandrasekaran.

The incident reportedly occurred on November 26, the drunk passenger allegedly urinated on a co-passenger in her 70s in the business class of an Air India flight from New York to Delhi. The lights had been dimmed after a meal. The woman complained about the matter to the crew and told them her clothes, shoes and bag were soaked in urine. Reports said that the crew allegedly gave her a set of clothes and slippers and told her to return to her seat.

There have been many incidents of unruly behaviour on a flight. Recently, a high pitched argument between an air- passenger and one of the crew members of an IndiGo flight has gone viral on social media. The argument started on the airline's Istanbul-Delhi flight over food.